Truth of a Genius
by Kaiya Mouri
Summary: Continuation of Truth of a Leader partly written by Saberdawn, now being continued by me. Donatello looks for replacement parts, reflecting on his own life until he finds something that will change his life forever.
1. Not Your Ordinary Day

A/N: Yes, This is not a dream, I, Arista Niara, have come back from her resignation thanks to some fans out there who actually annoyed me into coming back. I have decided to take over this fan fic since it appears that Saberdawn is going through a little too much with college and her jobs as well (and she says I do too much). So from here on out, the rest of the fic will be told by me, be scared.

Disclaimer: I do not own the TMNT or anyone affiliated with them. I only own Callista and now Elara (Saberdawn has relinquished rights to me.)

Chapter 1

"Not Your Ordinary Day"

A muscular figure got off the motorcycle and looked around the city dump. His purple eye mask tales flittered and flapped in the wind with his dark eyes looking around to see what he could use. His eyes showed a look of hardness, almost jealousy. His dark shell and tight muscles were outlined by the wind as it blew towards him.

_Why does everyone get more attention than me_, asked the figure to himself. He sighed to himself as he trudged over to the nearest garbage heap. He didn't always want his job but it always seemed like the only way to get some attention from the one he called Master.

He thought about his brothers' ability to get attention as he began to rummage through the garbage heap. Leonardo has his practicing, Michelangelo has his jokes, Raphael has his rebellion that he continually creates but what did he have? Inventions.

It wasn't easy being him in particular. He was always the one who had to whip up some device that would make him and his brothers defeat whatever enemy they would be fighting. It was him who had to fix the stereo when Casey came over and threw something at it when he lost his temper. It was him who got into trouble when Michelangelo couldn't resist but press the pretty orange button that made something blow up in the lair.

Once again, the oven was broken and he had to go looking though the city dump to find the part to replace the oven part. He groaned as he had problems even finding an oven that he could dismantle. _When I get home, I think I might kill Mikey for his last cooking experiment_, thought Donatello.

He groaned again. He just wanted someone to learn how to fix things so that he didn't need to all the time. It wasn't that he didn't like fixing things; it was just that it got monotonous after a while, always fixing the stove, stereo, DVD player, or even a TV or two. He sighed as he realized just how much he wanted a vacation.

Suddenly, he realized his jealousy of his own brothers. He sighed. He knew he wanted some extra attention other than being told to fix something but he never thought it to be that severe. He found himself almost jealous of Leonardo, having a girl around to give him the attention that Leo never got from Master Splinter.

Depression began to set in, realizing his jealousy. He knew what it was that he was really looking for, someone, anyone to appreciate him for who and what he was, someone like Callista who could love him and give him the attention but not the attention just because they wanted him to do something.

His heart sank. He wasn't about to let anyone know his jealousy. Although his brothers always hogged the spotlight, he was the one upstaged by the abilities of his brothers whether the ability be good or bad. _Don, snap out of it, you had your chance to go for Calli but you made no move_, thought Don to himself, realizing that the only female turtle in the world slipped through his hands.

Finally, after about fifteen minutes of looking, he found an oven. He began to dismantle it with the few tools he brought with him. The glow of the fire of the homeless people him and his brothers were acquainted with bounced off the metal stove as he worked, shedding a little light on the subject.

"Donatello, my friend, it's good to see you here," said a familiar voice.

"Hi Professor! Good to see you're doing well," greeted Donatello as he looked up from his work briefly.

"I'm glad you're here. We have something that you have to look at. It's incredible. I'm almost sure that this will interest you and your bothers," said the professor.

"I'll check it out in a minute. I just need this part from this stove and I'll be set to check out what you have," said Donatello.

"I guess another hour with us won't hurt her," said the Professor.

Donatello dropped his screwdriver suddenly. His eyes slowly met the gaze of the homeless professor. _Did he just say what I think he said_, he thought. He quickly turned the last screw, took the part, and placed it into his bag. He quickly got to his feet.

"Please show me what you found. You made it seem urgent," said Donatello.

"Oh it is. We found her buried under garbage. It was rough hiding her but we saved her from death," said the professor as he took the turtle's arm and lead him to the gathering of homeless men, women, and children.

The homeless people looked up at Donatello and quickly moved away to make way for Donatello and the professor to get through to the middle. In the middle of the circle was a familiar figure. The curves on her were almost perfect, making the turtle's eyes widen further.

"Oh my gosh, it's a female turtle," gasped Donatello


	2. Questions

Chapter 2

"Questions"

"Professor, where'd you find her?" asked Donatello, not even realizing that he was asking an already answered question.

"As I said, we found her here, in the junk yard where she was buried underneath garbage and such things," said the professor.

_Just like Calli_, thought Don as he looked over the female to see what he could do for the limp figure laying on the ground on an old mattress. His eyes took in every curve of her plastron and shell. Slowly, he allowed his fingertips to move over her smooth, scaly skin.

She had more of a curve to her plastron than Callista did however; she seemed a little more muscular than Leo's mate. Her breathing was deep but not heavy, a good sign to show that there was most likely no internal damage. Her skin was a deep yellow-green, close to his own coloring and perfectly smooth with the exception of a few scrapes that he could see on her body.

"Incredible, if I'm not mistaken, this is close to what happened to Calli when Leo found her," said Don to no one in particular.

"Calli?" asked the Professor, not knowing who Don was making reference to.

"Callista, Leo's mate. He found her in a dumpster almost six months ago and now, this girl turtle appears. I'm having the feeling that this is no coincident," said Don as he continued to check the terrapin for other injuries.

"Perhaps, not my boy, but I have a theory," said the Professor.

_Oh no, not again_, thought Don as he groaned.

"He's going into another one of his theories," said one of the homeless men.

"Yep," said the other in response.

"I believe that someone is out to distract you and your brothers of your doing of goodness and kindness by tying you all down with commitments of love and the like," said the professor.

A long pause ran between the Professor and the male turtle. The turtle waited for the rest of the theory but it never came.

"That's it?" asked Donatello, waiting for more to come spewing out of the professor's lips.

"That's it, my boy. This just defies all explanation. Not even I can explain this," said the professor.

"Can it be? The professor has no theory?" asked the homeless man sounding amazed.

"I think so," said another to the other in shock.

Don looked back at the girl turtle. He had only been this close to Calista when she was unconscious but now, he was close to this one. He sighed, wondering if this one would do the same thing Cali did, go to Mikey or Raph but pay no attention to him. His eyes showed his sadness for a minute before he wiped the thought clear from his mind. He had to find a way to get her back to the lair without having problems occur.

_Damn, the one time I don't take the Battle-Shell is the one time I need it_, thought Don as he tried to think of ways to get her back without calling for one of brothers to bring the battle shell. As much as he wanted to call his brothers, his mind kept stopping him from doing so. His heart wanted to be able to have what his elder brother had, someone to understand him and comfort him during the hard times. He knew calling for any of his brothers would possibly lessen his chances unless he called Leo but if he called Leo, Leo might send either Raph or Mikey to help Don, leaving him in the same situation he'd be in no matter what. Don groaned at the thought.

"My boy, is everything alright?" asked the professor.

"Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out how to get her back home so no one gets to her," said Don.

"I see how it is, you don't want your brothers getting the glory of finding her," teased the homeless professor.

"What? That's not it at all," shot back Don, nervously.

"Are you sure? It would be much easier to call your brothers," said the intellectual homeless man.

"Oh, well, Leo's busy with his mate and as for everyone else, well…they're busy," said Don quickly as he thought that he had just given the lamest excuse that he could ever come up with.

The professor nodded with understanding, sensing from his years on the streets and his past since he was now 50 years of age. He watched his friend try to plot a way to bring the female turtle back to his home to keep her protected from the rest of the world.

A groan suddenly be heard from the lips of the female turtle, turning all heads to her thin face.

"Professor, she's waking up," said Don, half with excitement.

"Yes, my boy, I hope she takes to everything okay," said the professor, showing his worry.

Don and the professor watched over the young female turtle, readying themselves for her reaction. Both said a silent prayer as they both waited for some news about the female terrapin.


	3. Scelerophibia

Chapter 3

"Scelerophibia"

Her eyes fluttered open, trying to adjust to just waking up from her unconsciousness. She allowed a groan of pain to escape her lips as she tightly shut her eyes which had not adjusted to the light of the near by fire, trying to rid of herself of the vertigo which plagued her. Slowly, the female turtle forced herself into a sitting position.

Don looked up at the professor before instinctively putting a hand on her shoulder. He looked at her skin in the war glow of the yellowing fire. Without realizing, his fingers massaged her tense, tight shoulder. Her skin was smooth, yet scaly under his touch.

"Thank you," said the female turtle softly still keeping her eyes closed.

"It's no problem," answered Don as softly as she did while he continued to massage her shoulder.

"Don, my boy, it appears that you will not have to worry about finding a way to bring your lady friend home," laughed the professor.

The female terrapin looked up at the source of the voice before letting out a high pitched shriek, causing the professor and Don to jump back in shock. She began to scoot herself backwards, too scared to stand, only to be backed against the metal fence.

"Well, this isn't going as well as I had hoped," said Don, looking up at the professor who just nodded and watched the other turtle.

_Not even my own kind would give me any good attention_, thought Don as he continued to look up at the professor. He then turned his attention back to the shaking figure whose eyes were wide and face had paled. He was confused as to why she was so scared. He followed her scared look towards the professor.

"What's wrong?" Don asked the female turtle, still confused over what had happened.

"Hu…human," she said as she pointed to the professor.

"Humans?" asked Don, almost not believing what she had said.

Don looked at the professor's shocked look on his face and then back to the scared turtle. His confused expression turned into a soft expression as he made his way over to the young turtle. His eyes showed his concern for her as he knelt down next to her and put a hand upon his shoulder.

"Come on, don't worry. They won't hurt you. They found you and rescued you," said Don, calmly, as if he were talking to a child.

Suddenly, without warning, the female turtle jumped into his arms, crying as she wrapped her arms around the stunned male turtle. Don looked at the girl turtle before giving her a comforting hug. She buried her face into his neck, holding back her sobs from being scared. He placed one hand on her maskless head and stroked it, relishing the feel of her skin beneath his fingers. His eyes closed taking as much as he could in.

"Shh…it's okay. Everything will be okay. I promise, nothing will hurt you," said Don as he slowly soothed the crying girl turtle.

_She's so tiny, I almost have to wonder, no, I can't_, thought Don, trying not to give in to his inner desires. Attention was all he wanted, some appreciation other than the occasionally 'good job.' If she was his, she could give him the attention that he desired, it would give him someone to talk to and if she could understand him enough, she would be his partner in the lab. He pushed the thoughts out of his head as she began to calm down.

"You don't have to worry about the professor and them, they're good men. They're the ones who found you and tried to do everything they could to save you. They're the reason that I came. I had no idea that you were here," he said trying to get her to trust the humans a little.

She gave him a confused look before looking back over at the human men. Her mind raced as memories of her past flooded into her mind. She shook her head, forcing the memories to scatter, leaving her at peace for a little while. Her eyes went back to the men standing around as she timidly stood up and walked over to them.

"Thank you for saving me," she said timidly, looking down at the ground, unsure what to expect.

"It was no trouble, my dear. I'm just glad to help," said the professor as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

She looked up, almost expecting something horrible to happen but nothing came. She smiled before blushing and turning her head to the side, looking at the ground.

"I…I'm sorry I screamed," she said embarrassed with her earlier actions.

"Do not worry about it. You merely have a horrible case of scelerophibia," laughed the professor.

"The fear of bad men," said Don and the girl turtle at the same time.

Don and the girl turtle turned and looked at each other in shock before smiling at each other as if they knew what the other was thinking. The surprise was suddenly interrupted by a small ringing sound, causing Don to suddenly go through his belt.

"What's up Leo?" asked Don as he answered his shell cell.

"Where are you? Are you okay? Splinter's worried about you," said Leo on the other end.

"I'm still at the junkyard," said Don still looking at the female turtle.

"Everything okay there?" asked Leo.

"Yeah, I found something I think I might bring back as well," said Don not quite sounding normal.

"What? Don, are you okay?" asked Leo, slightly concerned.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'll explain later," said Don as he hung up, not giving Leo a chance to respond.

_God, I was hoping that Calli would have done something for Leo_, thought Don as he groaned. He threw his shell cell back into his belt before looking at the shell-cycle. He knew it was big enough to fit two of them if he was careful about it. A smile came over his face.

"Is everything okay?" asked the girl turtle as she looked at Don.

"Yeah, come on, I'll bring you with me. You're not safe here," said Don as he walked up to the girl turtle and the professor.

"But I thought you said they were good men," said the girl turtle, not quite getting what he was saying.

"They are but I mean there are others who aren't. I want to bring you with me to keep you safe, where there are other turtles like us," said Don.

The girl turtle nodded in agreement. She could see his point on that.

"Affirmative," she said.

Don smiled as he walked over to the professor and shook his hand.

"Thank you, Professor, for everything," said Don, feeling that a thank you was not enough.

"My pleasure, my boy. How could I let an extraordinary creature like this young lady die? It was a pleasure helping you, my dear," said the professor as he took the girl turtle's tiny hand.

"I am forever in your debt, sir," she said.

"Call me Professor," he said as he placed his other hand over hers.

"In that case, please, call me Elara," she said.

"Named after the mother of Tityus, the giant," said Don and the Professor.

She nodded slightly.

Don slapped his forehead, realizing that he had never introduced himself to her and here he was about to take her home without knowing her name or her knowing his. He mentally kicked himself for his lack of manners.

"And I'm Donatello, Don or Donny for shot," he said, still kicking himself.

"After the great sculptor of the Statue of David," she said as she smiled.

Don nodded, feeling a little easier.

"We should get going. Come on, I think there should be an extra helmet in the extra compartment somewhere," said Don as he opened up the compartment to the shell-cycle.

He soon dug out another helmet which he handed Elara. She took it with a slight hesitation before watching Don put the helmet on. She watched how it went on before putting it over hear own head. Don checked to make sure the helmet was tight enough before getting onto the shell-cycle, moving up to make sure Elara had enough room for herself to get on. Once she was on, he turned to her.

"Hold on to me tightly. I don't want you to fall off," he said to her through the helmet.

She nodded before putting her arms around him and holding onto him tightly. Since Don was in front, she could not see the content grin he had on his face. _Don, you let Calli slip through your fingers to your older brother, don't make the same mistake twice_, said Don to himself as he revved the engine to the bike. With that, they were off, ready to bring Elara home, to meet up with the rest of the family.


	4. Introduction

Chapter 4

"Introductions"

Don took the shorter way to get to the garage. He didn't want it to end but he noticed that Elara was having trouble holding onto him. It was obvious to him that she was probably starving and suffering from malnutrition causing her to lack strength. He could only hope that he could get her some food before she was too far gone. He pulled into the garage and parked the shell-cycle next to the Battle Shell. Gently, he helped Elara off.

"Are you doing okay?" asked Don nervously.

She nodded shyly.

He smiled as he took her by the hand and lead her to the elevator. Just as he stepped into the elevator, he felt her hand slowly slip away from his. Slowly, he turned to see her eyes widened in amazement.

"Elara, come on, it's an elevator," said Don, extending his hand to her.

She looked it over, still amazed at the site of the elevator. Timidly, she took his hand and stepped into the elevator, putting her eyes on Don.

His eyes locked on to her chocolate brown eyes, unable to look away from hers. _She's beautiful, I hope that I'm not forcing myself to like her just because…no, I'm not, I know I'm not_, thought Don to himself.

Soon the elevator stopped. He broke his gaze with hers and looked towards the door. As much as he didn't want to be teased, being seen holding her hand, he wanted to be seen, in hopes that it would tell his brothers that she was already indirectly taken. He sighed and let go of her hand as the elevator door opened. Slowly, he signaled her to follow him into the lair.

"Donatello! Leo was getting worried about you! Where were you?" said a female voice.

"Sorry, Calli. Tell Leo I'm back," said Don to Calli as he passed by the teal masked female.

Callista watched Don as she noticed the young female turtle who follows behind Don. Her eyes widened as she noticed the weak and malnourished female. She watched as the female stopped dead in her tracks and held her head.

"Don, she's going to pass out!" warned Callista as she ran over to the female to give her some support.

Don turned the moment he heard Callista's voice and saw Elara's paleness. He ran over to her.

"Elara? Are you okay," asked Don.

Elara looked like she was about to say something until she passed out. Don reached forward and caught her, scooping her into his arms with ninja speed. _She must have exerted what she had left to come with me_, thought Don. He looked up at Callista.

"Calli, get Leo, I might need his help," said Don, hiding the fear in his voice.

Callista nodded to Don before she ran to the room Leo and her shared while Don ran to the couch and laid Elara there. Don ran to his lab, grabbing everything he would need, hoping that her body wasn't too far gone for him to save, before running back to the couch and setting up in record time.

"Don, what's going on?" asked Leo having the usual seriousness in his voice.

"I found another female turtle but this time, she was in the dump," said Don as he hooked up and IV, hoping that it would help her.

"Another female turtle? In the dump?" questioned Leo as he looked over the beaten and thin female turtle.

"Yeah, two in one year, Leo. I don't think this is a coincidence," said Don, after he looked around to make sure Callista wasn't in earshot of hearing his words.

"As thankful as I am that we did find Callista, I have to agree with you there. Two female turtles randomly being found beaten and disposed of in similar ways in less than a year isn't exactly a coincidence," agreed Leo.

Don nodded. He knew that there had to be a connection between Callista and Elara but at the same time, he didn't want to believe it. He continued to work on Elara.

"Where do you think they came from?" asked Leo.

"I don't know but where ever they come from, it couldn't have been a good place, considering," said Don as he looked over Elara's tiny form, loosing his train of thought.

"Considering what?" asked Leo.

"Never mind," said Don as he realized that he was loosing his train of thought looking at Elara.

Leo smiled his brotherly smile and put a hand on his shoulder. He remembered to almost six months ago that he sat in his brother's place, keeping watch over his own mate, Callista. Slowly, he sat next to his brother, something he hadn't done in years.

"You're lonely, aren't you?" said Leo, trying to start up a conversation.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that," said Don with a sigh.

"You hoped Callista would be the one to cure that, didn't you?" asked Leo, as he mentally kicked himself for asking that, afraid how Don would react to that.

"Why would it matter if I did or not? Callista chose Mikey and then you. I can't exactly go back in time and change that. Besides, there's a chance that Elara won't choose me either," said Don as he looked away from his brother.

"Don, you never know. Elara, as you said her name is, may like the smart shy type. You never know. Besides, who knows, maybe she enjoys inventing stuff and chemistry," said Leo, trying to make Don feel better.

"Doubtful. Leo, most women don't like to get their hands dirty in terms of chemistry or inventing. In the chat rooms that I'm in online, one girl ever comes into them and guess what, she's married," said Don.

"You can't judge what you've observed from the internet. Who knows, that woman you think you're talking to might be a drag queen," suggested Leo.

The two brothers stopped and looked at each other before they burst out laughing, neither of them believing what Leo had just said. It had been a while since Leo and Don sat down and laughed without the help of Mikey or a movie. They had been friends in their youth but drifted as they grew older. Slowly, they calmed down and continued to joke.

Callista watched the two brothers from the doorway of the room she and Leo shared. A grin came across her lips as she watched the two brothers. _It's good to see those two laughing over nothing but that girl turtle does look familiar_, thought Callista as she continued to watch, perched from her place. She slowly shook her head and walked back into the room, hoping that everything would work out.


	5. Awkward Silence

Chapter 5

"Awkward Silence"

It had been almost a week since Donatello had brought the small framed female turtle into the lair. Donatello stayed by the female's side, allowing fluids to enter her body through an IV that they kept in case of emergencies. He continually did test after test to see if there was absolutely anything he could do to ensure her survival, and to make sure that she wasn't related to any of the four guys or even Callista.

Shredder's constant attacks on the city or quests for various items in the city wasn't exactly making it easy for Donatello to stay at Elara's side, often asking Callista or Splinter to stay near her to keep watch. Callista usually watched over the stranger with questions going through her mind, never letting on to the idea that this female turtle seemed familiar to her.

Callista cleaned Elara's tiny body with a sponge, comparing it to her own every so often. Elara was slightly smaller than Callista was with darker coloring than her own. She was closer to Raph's coloring but still not quite as dark while Callista was closer to Michelangelo's shading. She shook her head of her nonsense thoughts. Who was she to compare herself to this turtle? _Leonardo will love me no matter what I look like_, thought to herself, rationalizing the idea not to compare herself to the beauty of another turtle.

A moan came from the unconscious female, bringing Callista's attention to her face. Callista smiled, knowing that as soon as the mysterious female awoke, the danger would be mostly past. She placed the sponge back into the water and put it onto the ottoman that was near by as she pulled up the chair Donatello had spent so many hours in.

Soon, the female opened her eyes for the first time in a week. Her grey eyes looked around the room, rather lost with few memories to go by. Elara slowly tried to sit up only to be pushed back down by a hand just below her neck but above her bust.

"No, you're not ready to be up and walking around," said Callista simply.

The unmasked female turtle complied, knowing that the other turtle was right. Her world was currently spinning anyway. She cursed the vertigo silently.

"Elara is it?" asked Callista, knowing that her word order was still a little off but after only learning how to speak decently six months ago, it was to be expected.

"Yes, at least that's the name I chose for myself," said the unmasked female, as she put a hand to her head, still understanding the bad English.

"Not a bad choice in names. My name is Callista however, you may hear my mate, Leonardo, and his brothers call me Calli, as may you," said Callista as she kept her watch over the turtle.

"Thank you, Calli," said Elara.

A period of silence swept over the two females for a moment.

"So, umm…are you from-"

"Yes, I am. How would you know unless you were the mute female that I once saw being beaten?" asked Elara, almost knowing exactly what Callista was saying.

"I was that female," she said simply.

Now an awkward silence passed between the two. The memories were painful, being used, beaten, starved, and often condemned to pain. It was just something neither wished to speak of.

"Is the other still there?" asked Callista softly, knowing what the answer probably was.

"Yes. I do feel sorry for her and it will be a matter of time before she shares the same fate that we did. Cast out and nearly killed unless someone finds us," said Elara with sorrow.

Again the uncomfortable silence crept into their conversation. In a way, it was comforting to find that the two females had someone who could understand them but it was still something that they knew that would probably never come out. It was their secret and they knew it.

"Does your mate know about where you came from?" asked Elara, looking up at the teal masked female.

"No, I haven't been able to bring myself to tell him my past yet. I don't know if I ever will," replied Callista with a bitterness which could be heard.

Before another uncomfortable silence came up, the guys trudged into the room, tired and worn from their battle with the Shredder. Callista looked at Elara and excused herself before getting up to meet the guys, going straight to Leo and tenderly hugging him.

"I told you we'd be okay," said Leonardo as he held his love tightly to him.

"I know but you were just injured not that long ago. It still worries me," said Callista as she held Leonardo tightly in return before kissing him lightly.

Donatello noticed the kiss the two of them shared and inwardly cringed. He knew they weren't trying to rub it in that he was alone but he couldn't help but feel his loneliness creep back upon his mind. He placed his staff down on the weapon rack that he had put together, alone, a month ago.

"Oh, Donatello, Elara has woken up but appears to be…umm…dizzy," said Callista as she looked over at Donatello from Leonardo's arms.

Don's head snapped up as he abandoned his staff on the rack and made his way over to the sofa where Elara had her eyes tightly closed. He knelt down next to her and placed a hand on her hand. _She looks so much better_, thought Donatello as he glanced her over.

"How are you feeling, Elara?" asked Donatello tenderly, wanting to make sure he gave her his undivided attention.

"Dizzy. The vertigo just won't go away," she complained, tightening her eyes.

"Okay. I think I've got just the thing to help you out. I'll be right back," Donatello said as he stood up and walked over to his lab.

Donatello made his way over to his lab and began to look through the medications that Casey and April had brought for them, especially ones that they managed to get courtesy of a friend of theirs who worked in Long Island College Hospital. He slowly looked through the many various bottles, dismissing many before coming upon the one he deemed good enough to use. He filled a syringe with it with a clear liquid that he knew would help with the vertigo.

While Donatello was in his lab, Michelangelo and Raphael walked over to Elara, looking at her with curiosity in their eyes. They made no attempt to move or to speak, especially when they had no idea how she'd react to them. Callista and Leonardo stayed in the practice area watching the scene unfold. Callista's eyes stayed on the female turtle, in sympathy, remembering just over six months ago, she was lying on the same couch, with the same problem.

"What is it?" asked Leonardo to Callista.

"It's nothing," insisted Callista as she hugged Leonardo again.

Leonardo hugged her back. He knew well enough when Callista was hiding something, just as she did when he was hiding something. He could never bring himself to pry things out since she was often sensitive about certain subjects such as her origin. He knew to tread lightly and not to push or else she would recede deeper into her own thoughts.

"Calli, you know you can tell me anything. When you're ready to tell me, I'm here to listen," said Leonardo as he kissed her forehead.

Callista nodded as she closed her eyes in silent prayer, hoping, praying, that everything would turn out alright.

TBC 

A/N: Yes, I am evil, I never did talk about Callista's origin in Truth of a Leader and nor have I done it yet. You'll just have to keep reading and find out what's going on! HAHA!


	6. Denying the Past

A/N: I would like to apologize in advance to those of you who don't understand the beginning conversation between Donatello and Elara. I'm actually basing this off my two friends Mark and Jerry who had a similar conversation and yes, the idea does exist. Don't ask, I don't get it either but it sounded great for the fic.

Chapter 6

"Denying the past"

Elara had been recovering for a week. She was proving to be quite the book worm, going through books like water. She continually read every one of the novels that she could get her hands on before going straight for Don's stash of Scientific America Magazines. She was often found with Donatello having another intellectual conversation over the last article that she had read.

"So what did you think of the latest issue?" asked Donatello as he sat on the couch next to Elara.

"It was interesting. I must say that I found the idea that light can create matter was very interesting," she responded as she placed down the magazine and looked towards Donatello.

"The first article that I know of was actually written in 1997. It's interesting how team of physicists collided large crowds of photons together so violently that the interactions spawned particles of matter and antimatter," said Donatello.

_Don, shut up, she may not even know what the shell you're talking about_, panicked Donatello without letting on his true feelings. He looked at her, hoping that she actually understood his last sentence.

"Yes, and how the twenty physicist collaboration focused an extremely intense laser beam at a beam of high-energy electrons and how when the laser photons collided head-on with the electrons, they got a huge energy boost, changing them from visible light to very high-energy gamma rays," said Elara, with an excited smile.

"Do either of them come with subtitles?" asked a voice from behind them.

"If they do, we don't know how to turn them on," replied another.

Elara and Donatello turned only to see Michelangelo looking at them with a confused expression while Raphael and Leonardo sparred. They burst out laughing at Michelangelo's expression.

Michelangelo blinked a few times before walking towards the remote to the TV. His eyes still traveled to his laughing brother and female. His feelings were almost neutral towards the female, much like Raph's feelings were towards Callista. Admittedly, he missed having a girlfriend but his feelings for Elara weren't anything like what he had originally felt for Callista. He turned on the TV and flipped through the channels quickly, looking for something decent to watch. Lazily, he flopped onto the lawn chair that he always laid on.

Splinter had been watching the scene unfold for just over two weeks; he could already see what was going on. He stood near Callista as she sat near his study, watching Leonardo and Raphael spar. He knew Donatello enjoyed having a young woman around his age in the lair that he could have "intelligent conversations" with. However, there were so many questions that he had.

"Callista, may I speak with you in my study?" asked Splinter, not even looking down to her.

Calista nodded and got to her feet. She followed Master Splinter into his study. It always amazed her when she walked into his room. It was very unlike the guy's rooms which seemed either bare or juvenile. Splinter's room had a very sophisticate feel. She gracefully sat on one of the cushions while Splinter sat across from her.

"You rarely have spoken to Elara," said Splinter simply.

"We bring back painful memories for each other," said Callista, looking away from Splinter, not wishing to go on.

"What kind of memories?" pressed Splinter.

_This is going to be like pulling teeth_, thought Splinter. He sighed.

"I do not wish to speak of it," said Callista, still unwilling to talk about her past.

"Callista, how are we to help you and Elara if neither of you speak of the past?" asked Splinter.

"But before one must speak, one must be comfortable to speak of what they have come to terms with and I have not yet come to terms with what had happened," said Callista, uncharacteristically bitter.

Splinter, being his usual receptive self, picked up on the bitter tone. He knew Callista's nightmares were thanks to her past but since she had started to share Leonardo's room, she rarely had the nightmares. She never let on to anyone where she was from, nor did she ever wish to speak of it. When she was pried, she only receded further into her own thoughts, barely even letting Leonardo near her. _Perhaps I will have better luck speaking with Elara_, thought Splinter.

"I am sorry, Callista. I just wanted to make sure everything is alright," said Splinter.

Callista looked uncharacteristically uneasy. Her fidgeting gave away her emotions as she told Splinter there was nothing wrong. She knew that it could be like pulling teeth to get a few answers from her with the right questions. She was just not ready to speak about what had happened to her at that time.

Splinter nodded, dismissing Callista who stood and bowed respectfully, taking the dismissal. He watched her leave as he shook his head. Both females had developed their own unique personalities which he knew wasn't completely a bad thing but it may or may not turn into a good thing. A sigh escaped his lips.

Callista walked out of Splinter's study, not wishing to speak with anyone. She silently made her way to the room she and Leonardo shared.

Splinter watched her walk out of the room before going to the door and watching Donatello and Elara laughing. His gears started turning. _Perhaps if Callista will not speak of her past, Elara may_, thought Splinter as he set his sights on Elara.


	7. Lists

A/N: I don't know if anyone else has noticed this in the current cartoon series but I have personally discovered Donatello to be the biggest flirt of all of them. He's flirted with April (REALLY badly), one of the aliens in "People's Choice", and I know there's at least one more whose name I can't think of at this current second. So I know I've made him rather bold with Elara but he's not entirely too bold. Don't worry. I would also like to say I do agree that I made Callista a little "abrupt" and that will be explained next chapter, I promise you. She's not normally like that.

Chapter 7  
"Lists"

"Donatello!" yelled Michelangelo sweetly.

Donatello groaned. Every time Michelangelo used his full name, it usually meant one thing, _could you fix something that I broke but won't admit to breaking_. He put his elbows on the table, allowing his head to fall into his hands. He always had to fix everything that his brothers, Michelangelo and Raphael in particular.

"What Mikey?" asked Donatello in a frustrated voice.

"The DVD player mysteriously broke!" complained Mikey.

"And how did that happen?" asked Don in a frustrated voice, knowing what exactly was going to be said to him but not facing him.

"I don't know, I guess you didn't fix it as well as you thought from the last time," said Mikey.

Donatello mouthed the words as Michelangelo said his words. He growled. He didn't want to be the ones who fixed everything all the time but who else would fix everything?

"I'll fix it, Michelangelo. Give your brother a break," said a feminine voice.

Both brothers' heads turned to the source of the voice. They saw Elara walking towards Michelangelo and taking the DVD player from him. Her eyes were filled with kindness.

"Your brother's fixed this thing three times last week, let me do it. Besides, you've given him enough to fix this week," she said as she brought the DVD player to the table and began to reach for Don's tool box.

Both brothers watched Elara with near amazement before exchanging looks of surprise.

"Umm…Thanks, Elara," said Michelangelo as he gave a look of _she likes you_ to Donatello.

Donatello looked at Michelangelo returning the look as if saying _yeah right_. He watched as Michelangelo walked out of his lab, not entirely sure what to think of the situation. He looked over at Elara who was taking the DVD player apart. His mind raced as he watched Elara work.

Her slender fingers worked the screwdriver, removing the screws with the speed of a pro. Her arms stayed close to her body. Whenever she reached across the table to switch tools, he noticed how truly petite she was.

He walked over to the work bench and placed a hand over hers. He watched at she turned her head, allowing their eyes to meet. His chocolate brown eyes met her grey eyes. _I've never realized just how beautiful her eyes were_, Donatello thought. He cleared his throat abruptly.

"I'll fix it," Donatello offered.

"I don't mind, Donatello. Don't worry," said Elara as she continued to smile at him.

Donatello smiled back before stepping away. _I can't believe how beautiful and smart she is_, he thought to himself. He continued to smile as he watched her go back to fixing the DVD player with expert hands.

He walked over to his computer desk, moved his keyboard, and took out a piece of paper. His hand seemed to go to a pen before his hands lost control of his left hand. Before he knew what he was doing, he found himself writing a list of everything that he wanted in a mate. _Intelligent, kind, skillful with tools, knowledgeable about electronics, able to speak and actually sound like she knows what she's talking about_...he looked over to the female standing in his presents. _She's everything I want and more_, thought Donatello. There was so much for them to talk about, everything from Einstein's theories that were never published right down to her past. Donatello was starting to believe that they would never ever run out of things to talk about.

Elara reconnected the loose wire that was loosened _mysteriously_. She reached for a light glue which would keep the connection in place unless someone physically went inside the DVD player and force it to disconnect. With ease, she placed the whole thing back together. She shivered spontaneously. Slowly, she turned, only to meet Donatello's eyes.

Donatello blushed before turning back to his computer desk before taking another piece of paper. _I cannot believe how caught up in her I am_, thought Donatello as he cursed himself. Of all the things Master Splinter and books had taught him, he had learned nothing had ever prepared him to tell a girl his feelings. He had let April and Callista slip through his fingers and he didn't want to let another girl who had the qualities of April that he loved slip by him.

Elara smiled, trying not to let herself laugh at Donatello's embarrassment. Her eyes still stayed on Donatello as he wrote something. She let her eyes wander his body although his carapace was to her. Something about him made her feel safe just being near him.

She started at his head where the brain of a scientist resided. Her eyes continued their journey to his strong neck and shoulders that had been very well toned from years of ninja training, something that she kind of liked. His carapace was filled with crisscrossing scrapes from most likely countless battles with the one he and his brothers fought. Continuing down, she then saw his powerful thighs also toned from the years of ninja practice.

_He's more amazing than I thought_, thought Elara to herself, continuing to size him up. Suddenly, she realized Donatello was now looking at her. She turned around quickly, hiding her blushing face. _Get a hold of yourself, Elara_, she thought to herself as she tried to control her blushing.

Don turned back to his work blushing as well. He looked down at what he was writing, his _to do list_. He smiled. He may have been a flirt in the past but he had never gotten the girl. This time, he was determined, especially after the way they were sizing each other up. Being the flirty one but being too shy to ask her to be his love forever, he knew he'd need some advice. His left hand picked up the pen once again as he added one last thing, _get the girl_.


	8. Her Past Revealed

A/N: I will give a warning in this chapter.

Warning: This chapter does go into some semi-graphic (Not crossing the line graphic) detail where abuse, rape, and beatings are discussed. If you don't like such things, you may want to skip to there the space between the (This is only marking where the graphic part takes place). Don't worry, you will not miss a whole lot.

Chapter 8

"Her Past Revealed"

Leonardo entered the room he and Callista shared. A bath towel was around his neck, giving the hint that he had showered before coming to the room to most likely draw. His eyes wandered to the bed where Callista faced the wall, her carapace to him. He smiled as he walked over to his dear mate. He sat next to Callista and began to massage her shoulder. After no response from Callista, his smile fell off his face.

"He pried again, didn't he?" asked Leonardo as he sighed, guessing what happened.

A nod was all that he got from his dear mate. He lied next to her and held her close to him, hoping to comfort her like holding her usually did. Lightly, he kissed the back of her neck.

"He worries about you," said Leonardo as simply as he could.

"And I understand that but he doesn't know what I went through," bitterly said Callista.

"I know. Not even I know your pain. I will not force you to tell me," said Leonardo as he snuggled the back of her neck.

Callista turned in Leonardo's arms, facing him. Their eyes met before kissing lightly. She cuddled Leonardo, knowing how much he enjoyed cuddling.

"It was horrible there," she said her voice thick from crying.

"In Master Splinter's study?" asked Leo, moving away from his mate to look at her.

"No, there…in that place I came from," she said, tears starting to well up in her eyes.

Leonardo looked at his beloved Callista. He held her close, not saying a word, hoping that she would go on. He knew it was a horrible place but she never went farther than that, making the hope of going on usually a false hope.

"We were beaten everyday, regardless of the reason. It could be as small of a reason as being a second late giving eye contact. Our pain meant nothing to anyone there. We learned to fear any _male_ who came near us. This is why I feared all of you when I first awoke," she said as tears fell from her eyes.

Leonardo's eyes widened as he listened to his mate. Anger and sadness stirred in his heart, hoping and praying that one day, he'd never meet the one who did this to her for he would kill him on sight. He held her closer to him, staying quiet, allowing her to pour her heart out, telling him what happened.

"My stab wounds and scratches were because I had gotten sick of the beatings and I dodged the one who beat me. It didn't just end there. He…he…he forced me to mate with him," sobbed Callista into Leo's neck.

Leo's anger levels grew as he held her tighter and more protectively. He forced his anger down for her sake. He kissed her forehead, trying to comfort her. _No one rapes the one I love and lives to tell the tale, may I run into that guy and run him through_, thought Leonardo angrily.

"The minute he was finished, he was done, he decided to kill me. That's when you found me, my Leonardo," sobbed the teal masked female.

He lost his voice after hearing her story. Rape. Abuse. Beatings. No wonder she didn't want to talk about her past. Undoubtedly Elara experienced similar.

"Where was this horrible place?" asked Leonardo.

"I…I don't know," cried Callista.

_Either she doesn't really know or she's afraid to speak_, thought Leonardo as he continued to hold her tiny body close to him. He put his anger behind him and kissed her forehead, trying to comfort her. His hand came up behind her head and stroked her head gently, allowing his fingers to comb out her mask tails.

"Oh Callista, why didn't you tell me this?" asked Leonardo, feeling tears well up for her pain.

"I was afraid that you wouldn't love me anymore," cried Callista.

As little sense as it made, he knew just how much sense it made at the same time. He had heard of women remaining quiet after getting out of an abusive home or away from an abusive husband or boyfriend. Never in his wildest dreams did he believe that anyone so near and dear to him would have gone through that. How he wanted to kill the one who did it.

"Callista, I would love you no matter what. Nothing will ever change that. I love you, my love, my Callista, my mate," he said, reassuring her of his feelings and love.

Callista looked at Leonardo and held him tightly. It felt like a million pounds had been lifted from her however, some weight was still there. Another was still in that horrible place and she didn't even know where that horrible place was.

"And I love you as well, my Leonardo," she whispered before she kissed him deeply, allowing their lips to dance for a while.

They stayed that way for a while before breaking their kiss, denying their lips of the pleasure of dancing again. Their eyes locked on to each other's, seeing the pure love and emotion that they had for each other.

"As soon as we get rid of Shredder, I intend to ask Master Splinter to hear our vows which could be our way of being married," said Leonardo as he sighed contently.

"Yes, that would be nice. I look forward to that," she said as she cuddled Leonardo.

_Oh my gosh, Master Splinter_, thought Callista, suddenly feeling rather guilty about the conversation that had taken place earlier that day.

"Oh my gosh! I must have sounded so disrespectful to Master Splinter," gasped Callista.

"Don't worry, I'm sure that he'll understand and he knows how much that you hate to talk about your past. I'm sure he'll let it slide since he was the one who provoked you," assured Leonardo as he kissed her again.

Callista smiled as she snuggled her love again. He always knew what to say and how to make her feel safe. They snuggled closer to each other, content to stay together until a knock was heard at the door. The two turtles sighed. Another interruption, another moment disturbed.

"Who is it?" called out Leonardo.

"It's me, Don, Leo. I need to talk to you," called the voice from the other side of the door.

Leonardo sighed as he kissed Callista again and got off the bed, feeling relieved that she had finally told him what happened to her in the past.


	9. Advice

Author's Disclaimer: I do not claim to know anything about love, nor will I try to say I do. I am basing this primarily on what I've read. This romance fic is being written by a girl who's been in far too many bad/abusive relationships. So DO NOT take too much of Leo's dating advice seriously. Only wrote that in so I don't end up with flames of "I tried to take Leo's advice and it didn't work."

Chapter 9

"Advice"

Leo opened the door to find Don, slouching in a shy, nervous manner. He looked at his brother and stepped aside, opening the door wider for him.

"Don, what's wrong? Come in," welcomed Leo as he watched his brother walk into the room.

Callista saw Don walk into the room as she sat up. She quickly got to her feet, seeing that most likely Don would want to speak with his brother _with the mate_ around. She walked over to the door.

"I'll leave you both to talk. I've got something that I feel I should take care of anyway," she said as she walked out.

Leo and Don watched as Callista exited the room and shut the door. Their eyes stayed at the door for a while.

"She's good," said Don, amazed that she picked up on the fact that he wanted to talk to Leo alone without him ever having to say anything.

"Yeah, isn't she? So what's on your mind, Don?" asked Leo as he brought his attention to his slightly shorter brother.

Don shifted his weight, showing his uneasiness.

"You see, I was wondering…well, actually, I was hoping for advice on…umm…well, I-"

"You want advice on women, don't you?" asked Leo, as if he had been reading his brother's mind.

Don looked up at Leo with amazement. Granted, he and Michelangelo use to make joke about how they bet that Leoanardo and Splinter had telepathy but Don never gave much thought. He nodded slightly. _Jeez, Don, calm down, this is Leo, not Splinter_, thought Don as he tried to keep his composure.

Leo smirked as he walked over to the chair at his desk, offering a seat on the bed to his brother knowing that this could take a while. He watched his brother gladly take the seat on the bed.

"So what kinds of things do you want to know?" asked Leo, lounging in his chair.

"Well…how did you attract Calli?" asked Don seeming nervous at first but finally looking up at his brother.

"How did I attract Calli? Other than getting hurt and having Calli baby me, nearly dying, and leaving a sketch out that she caught? I have no idea," said Leo, trying to remember how it all happened.

"You're telling me that you have no idea?" asked Don, smacking his forehead.

Leo leaned back in his chair, seeming uncharacteristically relaxed. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed with content.

"To be honest, I don't know. It didn't even seem to be one specific thing that helped me. Sometimes, I think it was because we were meant to be together and that's why I found her in the dumpster almost seven months ago," said Leo almost reminiscing.

"So how did you know that you were falling in love with her?" asked Don, still keeping up with the questions.

"To be honest, Don, love is one of those weird things that hits you without realizing it. I felt as if Calli and I were connected some how, and it wasn't just because I was the one who found her. It was as if this protective feeling came over me that just told me that if anything ever happened to her, I'd never be whole. It even seemed like I was finding my best friend, the one I could tell anything and everything to. Does that make sense?" mused Leo, looking at his brother, hoping that his musing did.

Don nodded. It made sense but at the same time, he couldn't understand it. It was funny in his opinion, to love someone for no exact reason. It was _so_ unlike science which had so many precise answers although it was filled with uncertainty.

"Do you feel anything like that for Elara?" asked Leo.

"Well, yeah. I've found myself being able to tell her almost anything," said Don, just starting his explanation, trying to word it correctly.

"Only almost?" asked Leo.

"Well, are you telling me that it's supposed to be easy to tell a girl _hey, I think you're cute, will you date me_? I think not," said Don, half glaring at his older brother.

"Okay, you got me there. Continue," said Leo as he held his hands up in defense, trying to keep from laughing at his own memories of stuttering whenever he tried to tell Callista how he felt about her..

"It often feels like there's so much more that we haven't talked about and we can go for hours on just one subject," said Don

"So we've all noticed with your talks about the latest article in Scientific America," joked Leo.

"Do you mind?" asked Don in an annoyed voice.

"Sorry, Don, I'm only busting your shell. Besides, how often have I done that?" asked Leo, half laughing.

Don sighed, knowing that Leo was right about what he had said. He was usually left alone by his brother unless he was asked to fix the computer once in a blue moon since Leo's touch of death.

"Okay. Well, it's just weird; we can almost feel each other's eyes on each other. We can tell when we're looking at each other. Now I don't think it's ESP but who knows what that could be, maybe if I study that a little more."

Donatello saw the lost look on his brother's face the moment that he went on the ESP tangent. He cleared his throat quickly.

"I'm just afraid that I'm forcing myself to love her," stated Don as he hung his head down.

"I don't think so but what makes you think that?" asked the older brother as he sat up and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I let April, Jada, and, well, several others slip through my grasp. Even Callista," sighed Don, not being able to look up at his brother.

Leo looked at Don in surprise. He never knew that Don was in love with Callista at one point. He sat back and wondered just how Elara must feel, being the only _single_ female in the lair with three completely eligible bachelor turtles. He gave his brother's shoulder a comforting squeeze, causing Don to make eye contact again.

"Don, I had no idea you felt that way about Callista. I mean, I never saw you two flirting. I will tell you this though, from my experience with Callista, you and Elara sound perfect for each other. Make a move if you know that she's everything that you could ever want," said Leo, looking at his brother seriously.

"She is. She's everything I loved about April and Callista rolled into one," said Don, looking at his brother.

"Then I think you know what to do," said Leo, patting his brother's shoulder.

Don watched his brother be uncharacteristically relaxed as he lounged in the desk chair. He knew Callista had changed Leo for the better but he hadn't gotten the full effect. Now, he was getting it. The affect relaxed him and turned him into a mellow _brother_ rather than the up-tight _leader_. Although it almost scared him to see his brother like this, he was happy that he could see his brother in this new way, in the way of the caring big brother, not caring but nagging leader. _Love really does change a person, doesn't it_, thought Don to himself.

"Anything else that you wanted to ask me?" asked Leo, his hands now behind his head, clasped as if supporting the back of his head.

Before Don could shake his head or speak, a desperate cry for help came over the two shell cells in close proximity. They looked at each other before Don answered it.

"Don here, what's up April?" asked Don.

"Don, big trouble. The Foot's around and so's Shredder!" said April in a desperate voice.

The two brothers sprang to their feet and ran out of the room, flipping down the to bottom floor of the lair, not bothering to use the stairs, scaring both female turtles and the mutant rat.

"Let's go guys," yelled Leo as he and Don grabbed their weapons, soon being joined by Raph and Mikey.

Leo quickly kissed Callista good-bye, like he had gotten into the habit of doing before entering battle, before running towards the exit. The four ran out the door to the sewers.

Elara watched the guys run out of the lair with great haste before looking up at Splinter and Callista.

"Is it always like this?" asked Elara.

"No, only when Shredder and the Foot Clan decide to cause more trouble," said Callista as she watched the four males of their species run out of the lair.


	10. Demons & Angels

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to get this up. I've been in and out of the hospital with health problems again and I've also been doing a lot of traveling when I'm not.

TMNT Comic book Background: For those of you who don't know, Shadow (Who is not in the TMNT cartoon) is Casey's daughter. She comes from the original Mirage comics from the 80s when Casey took in Gabrielle a girl he saved who was pregnant. They got married and Gabby had a daughter but died due to birth complications. Casey and Shadow aren't really father and daughter biologically but he raises her.

Just a quick thank you to KC Bakeneko for her excellent tutorial essay on fight scenes.

Chapter 10

"Demons & Angels"

The four brothers ran towards April and Casey's apartment. Their minds raced, knowing that Shadow was only a child but with the Foot attacking, who knew what could potentially happen? Their thoughts sharpened as they began to become more and more aware of their surroundings, not wanting the Foot to catch them.

So much could turn bad right at that moment. They just had to get there. A scream was heard echoing through the sewers from the hole in Casey and April's basement.

Their hearts stopped for a split second as they pushed themselves harder to get to the apartment building. The minute they made it there, an ambush pounced upon them like a pride of lions on an antelope.

With weapons in hand, the guys fought the Foot with their ninja finesse. Weapons clashed together in attacks and defense. With close quarters, the turtles found it hard for them to fight effectively.

"Forty-five, Forty-six…Yo, Leo, where are you?" asked Raph as he smirked, spinning his sai.

"Sixty," yelled out Leo.

"That's bull shit! How the shell did you take out fourteen more than I did?" asked Raph in a mocking frustration.

Donatello twirled his staff, effectively giving him the desired effect, clearing off some space. He stopped for a moment, almost daring anyone of the Foot to come and attack him at that very moment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a sea of red hair pouring out from behind some boxes. He pole-vaulted over the seemingly endless number of Foot Soldiers and over to the pile of red hair. There, he saw, to his horror, April lying unconscious with a scared six-year-old Shadow shaking near by.

The raven haired six-year-old girl ran to Don and clung to him. It was so clear that she was crying over her adopted mother's attack. She felt her adopted uncle's arms wrap around her protectively. Tears fell freely from her eyes as the battle continued. She felt her uncle stroke her curly black hair in a comforting manner before taking his staff and hitting the offending Foot Soldier in the face.

"It's okay, Shadow. We'll get you and your mommy out of here and we'll find daddy too," comforted Don in the same soothing voice he had used on Elara a few weeks back.

He silently cursed himself. Even in this situation, his mind still wandered back to Elara. He tried to push her out of his mind, just to get through the fight. However, the more he pushed, the move the thoughts of Elara came back, stronger than ever. He finally gave up and picked up Shadow in one arm and the unconscious April in the other. He stealthily waited before making a break from behind the box to the entrance to the sewers.

Once in the sewers, he continued to run down them, hoping, praying that it wasn't too late to save the woman that he once loved. As he ran, he felt a little face snuggle into his neck. He had to ignore it at that very moment. Shadow was only secondary for now while she was unhurt; his main focus was on April.

It wasn't long before he made it to the lair with both mother and child. Splinter, Callista, and Elara were there to greet him with worried eyes. He handed Shadow to the nearest being, which just happened to be Elara.

"Hold her," said Don franticly before he adjusted April in his arms and ran into the lab with her, hoping that it wasn't too late.

Elara curiously looked at the little girl who only stared at her back. The girl's green eyes stood out next to the Black curls that came down. _She's so cute_, thought Elara.

"Hi. My name's Shadow," said the little girl to Elara even through her tears.

"And my name's Elara. Oh you look like you've been through so much. Let's go to the kitchen. I know Michelangelo says _ice cream makes everything better_. Would you like some ice cream?" asked Elara, allowing her maternal instincts kick in with the child in her arms.

The child nodded, her face still stained with tears. She leaned against Elara as Elara made her way to the kitchen, followed by Callista. After Shadow was seated, Elara grabbed a bowl for the ice cream while Callista wet a washcloth with warm water and knelt down next to Shadow.

"What flavor would you like Shadow?" asked Elara, looking at the obscene number of flavors of ice cream.

"Chocolate, please?" asked Shadow.

"Here, let me get your face, okay, Shadow?" said Callista, also acting motherly to Shadow.

Shadow nodded as she allowed Callista to wipe off her face from the tears that had created little rivers and streaks down her face. Before she knew it, away came the washcloth and a green bowl of chocolate ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top sat in front of her. Shadow looked up at the two female turtles with wide eyes.

"Are you two angels?" asked Shadow, feeling better already.

The two females exchanged glances before giggling.

"No, Shadow, although your Uncle Leo likes to think I am. And maybe your Uncle Don with Elara," giggled Callista as she sat next to Shadow, getting her mind off the unconscious April.

"Calli, Don and I aren't together," said Elara.

"Yet," teased Callista as she winked at Elara.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Elara, curiously.

"You'll just have to wait and see," said Callista with a smirk.

Callista may have been sitting on the side lines of daily life but she wasn't stupid. She could see what was going on between Don and Elara. Her keen eye never failed her when it came to noticing details and just the body language and the tone of voice that the two seemingly reserved for each other was more than enough proof for Callista.

Meanwhile, Donatello treated April's injuries with the same care he gave to all of his brothers when each of them. He looked over her, feeling guilty that he had to remove her shirt to treat a wound but he found himself not as tempted to look at her in the way he once was. He sat next to April and sighed. Regardless of knowing his friend was injured, his thoughts continually went to his own thankfulness on how Elara wasn't hurt.

He shook his head, trying to stop his thoughts yet they kept coming back. He knew he had feelings for Elara but he never thought they were this strong. _I wonder if Leo went through this_, thought Don as he tried to continue to work.


	11. Love and Rebounds

A/N: I apologize for the tardiness of this chapter. College hasn't been the kindest to me. Especially with my senior year.

Chapter 11

"Love and Rebounds"

Shadow was asleep in the guest room that Elara usually slept in by the time the guys came back. Raph, Mikey, Leo, and Casey walked into the lair. The four met up with Don to make sure April would be okay before deciding that there wasn't much that could be helped at this point.

Callista walked out of the kitchen and met her mate with a kiss. They embraced each other for a while before heading towards their room. Elara watched Callista, almost jealous of her friend. There was just something about the thought of having someone come home to you that made Elara want whatever it was that Callista had.

While April lay unconscious in the lab, Casey stayed by his wife as his daughter slept in Elara's room. Elara sat on the couch, thinking about spending the night there. She sat back as she read the latest issue of Scientific America. She didn't even realize that Donatello sat down next to her.

"Enjoying the article on the effect on snowflakes falling on water?" asked Don.

Elara placed the magazine down and looked up at Don. Her eyes were lightened by the sight of Don sitting next to her.

"Yes. It's interesting how a snowflake deposits a tiny amount of air just beneath the surface. Before the bubble reaches the surface and pops, it sends out a piercing sound which is far too high for humans to hear," said Elara.

Don nodded. His eyes had the lightness that they always seemed to have in his chocolate brown eyes however, his mood was darker than usual. He couldn't bring himself to look up at her, as he tried to figure out why he wasn't as worried about April which disturbed him greatly.

"What's wrong, Don?" asked Elara, noticing his lack of enthusiasm.

"I don't know. I guess I'm wondering about my feelings," said Don.

Elara looked up at the male turtle near her. She hoped and prayed that he would tell her what he felt was the same as she felt. She felt her heart race as she got closer to Don.

"What do you mean?" asked Elara.

"I had always loved April. I…I don't know. She's getting married to Casey soon and…Never mind," said Don, trying not to ruin what he had between him and Elara.

He cursed himself silently. He had said far too much and he knew it. He wished right then and there that he could have taken it back but he knew that he couldn't.

"Oh, I see. You're still in love with her," she said, convincingly hiding the sadness in her voice.

"Well, I umm…I can't lie that I don't because I umm…I'm going to shut up now," stuttered Don.

"No, please don't. I'm here to listen, Donatello. There's nothing wrong with admitting your feelings about how you feel about someone," said Elara, reaching over and taking his hand.

_He's in love with this human and here I am comforting the one who's just torn my heart in two_, thought Elara as she looked into Don's brown eyes. Although her heart was breaking, she couldn't help but notice how rough and callused his skin was against her smooth scaled hand, most likely from his years of working with the staff.

"No Elara, I care for her but I can't love her anymore. She never knew I existed and is now with Casey. So why should I sit around and wait for her to notice me when I know she won't? As I said, there's no point," said Don trying to save himself.

"So you're trying to move on?" asked Elara.

"Well, I guess you can say that," said Don.

"Now, the important question is _have_ you?" asked Elara, trying to give him one last chance.

Don stopped. He wanted to answer her truthfully. He desperately wanted to say no, pull her into his arms and tell her that he had no feelings for April other than those of just friends but he couldn't bring himself to do that, not when he still had his feelings for April. Lying to her wasn't an option since he didn't want to feel like he used Elara as a rebound so that he could force himself to get over his one true crush.

Suddenly, he felt himself being slapped in the face, not physically but mentally. A rebound, the whole reason he secretly wanted Callista, to help himself get over April. Unlike his brother, Leonardo who wanted Callista for the real reason he felt people should want each other, he only wanted her as the rebound.

Guilt tugged at his heart stings. He couldn't do that to Elara. He couldn't use her as a rebound, nor did he want her to feel like that. He knew what he had to do, regardless of how much longer it took him to tell her that he loved her, even if it took more than their life times. He couldn't hurt her.

Don allowed himself to let go of Elara's hand. His heart thumped faster, as he lightly brushed against her soft hand. His eyes fell from her gold colored eyes. He couldn't look her in the eye for some reason, perhaps something else to consult his elder brother on. He let out a deep sigh, knowing how depressed he'd be in the morning.

"No," he said.

"Perhaps you will one day, Donatello," said Elara, again holding back her sadness as she looked away from him.

Her heart officially was broken and torn. Everything seemed to be going so well. At least, until this human named April, just happened to get hurt and show up. She couldn't hold it against April. She was sure there was much that she could offer Don that she couldn't the least of which was most likely the idea of a window to the human world, where Don really did belong.

"Perhaps I will, one day," said Don, fighting the urge to bring her lips up to his and kiss her.

An awkward silence came between the two. Neither of them knew what to say to the other. Both were heart broken. All that had seemed to come between them both, was now gone. Lost. The chance of love between them now seemed beyond lost.

"Well, I should let you rest. Did you want to take my room?" asked Don, trying to make some amends.

"No, that's alright Donatello. I'm fine out here," said Elara, keeping her mask of smiles up.

Don smiled at Elara as he stood, not wanting to make things any worse than they already were.

"Well, good night," said Don as he got to his feet.

"Good night, Donatello," said Elara, keeping her smile.

Elara watched Don leave, looking back a few times before disappearing into his room. She watched the door close before leaning back. Her mask lost, tears came to her eyes. Silently, she cried. Everything that she and Callista were sure about was no longer true. _Perhaps Donatello doesn't love me like Callista and I suspected_, thought Callista.

She turned on the TV for a while, trying to forget about what happened. She slowly stretched out on the couch and looked up at the TV. The remote was once again missing; which she concluded most likely Mikey's doing so changing the channel from where she lay was not an option. Mentally exhausted, she decided that she was too lazy to get off the couch to change the channel.

"Oh John! Oh Marsha!" the voices from the TV started saying.

Elara tried not to snicker, knowing at that point who the remote crook was. Splinter. She concluded that the channel had to be Soaps Network, Splinter's favorite channel. She sighed, feeling much lighter after having that little chuckle, before looking up at the TV. She saw the human couple embrace in a passionate kiss. Her mind wandered for a moment as she imagined her and Donatello in that same passionate embrace and kiss.

She imagined it as her paradise. No, their paradise. No one would be there to bother them. It would only be them. Their bodies pressed against each others', his strong arms, once again, protectively embracing her, while their lips danced a dance that they had never known.

She sighed again. If only it could happen. She slowly found herself drifting to sleep, still dreaming about the one turtle she that loved, Donatello.

Don went into his room, his heart broken. Slowly, he shut the door. He leaned against it and placed a hand over his heart. Never in his life did he feel such pain in his chest. The pain was horrible, to the point where he started to wonder if he would have a heart attack. He had never experienced such pain. Splinter had always said _words can often hurt more than that of a tonfa blow_ and Don now knew, he wasn't kidding.

Ever so slowly, he made his way to his computer. Nothing seemed to ease the pain. He walked to his computer and turned on the monitor. He had to get his feelings into something. Don slowly sat in his computer chair and logged onto his internet blog.

Usually, his blog was used to house his various experiments and inventions on a scientific group which he had frequented. For once, however, he wouldn't be using that blog for his experiments or inventions. With lightening speed, he wrote out his feelings.

_I screwed everything up. I really do feel like I do. Was it so wrong of me to not want to make the girl I have fallen in love with feel like she's a rebound? Is it really wrong that I didn't lie to her and tell her that I'm not over the girl who I had loved since I was 15? Maybe it was. Maybe I shouldn't have told her that I'm still getting over April…_

_It's rare that I've been wrong about such things, maybe this is why my older brother has the girlfriend and I don't although the two of us are intelligent. He's the tactful one when it comes to people, I'm the shy flirt. Admittedly, I've always been a lonely flirt. If only there was a way to correct what I had done._

_Love isn't some experiment which when you mess up, you can start all over again from scratch. I will acknowledge that but now, I've messed up and I don't know how to go with it. What the heck do?_

He sighed, putting his hands on his head and elbows on the desk, on either side of the keyboard. Although he typed for maybe thirty seconds, he felt like it was an eternity. Nothing could get him by, so he thought. He used his mouse to post before moving to his bed.

The let the soft glow of his various experiments and his computer monitor outlined an assortment of items in his room. His eyes made out a few of the shapes in the room until he saw the shape of what he thought was a pair of male and female turtles sharing an embrace, holding each other close.

"Elara," he whispered softly.

His heart fluttered at the thought of him and Elara embracing. Nothing seemed more like the idea of paradise than being able to have her in his arms. Even if he couldn't have Elara, he would be just as happy holding her in his arms every month or so. Nothing would be able to stop him from kissing her lightly on her lips, the soft, gentle lips that were only Elara's.

He sighed. He had no idea when he'd fully get over April but he would. He didn't care how long it took, he'd do it just for Elara if not for himself. He was determined. Nothing would stop him.

Don felt his eye slowly droop. He forced himself to stay awake a little longer to write himself a note, _Talk to Leo about getting over April_. It was a long shot but still worth a try. It wasn't long before he fell into a dreamless slumber.


	12. Talks and Suggestions

A/N: Leo does not use katana nor will I acknowledge the fact that's what Laird calls them. When I had asked him about this, he said Katana just sounded cool. He REALLY uses NINJATO.

Chapter 12

"Talks and Suggestions"

It was obvious that Don wasn't concentrating. Jerky movements, hesitation, rushed motions, in slow katas were all signs. All of these had been obvious during the days following April's recovery and departure to the farm. His mind was never in his ninja practice. Not that this was unusual but his focus wasn't even in his experiments and inventions, his lack of concentration made apparent thanks to the constant dropping of test tubes and flasks.

Splinter had of coursed noticed this lack of focus. Throughout the many times he had pulled Don aside, he could not get a straight answer from his talented son. There was so much Splinter had experienced but nothing in his many years of life but nothing could ever prepare him to help his son.

Splinter walked over to the room Callista and Leonardo shared. The door may have been open but he didn't dare go in uninvited. Now that the two shared a room, his biggest fear was walking in during an intimate moment. He peaked into the room only to see Callista straightening the bed, most likely after doing the laundry, as Leonardo cleaned his swords. Seaming relieved, he knocked lightly.

Leonardo's head shot up, seeing Master Splinter. He gently sheathed his swords and walked over to Splinter and bowed his predictably respectful bow.

"Yes Sensei?" asked Leo.

Callista moved towards Leonardo and stood next to her mate which always made Splinter want to let out a chuckle. Although it had been a long while since she came into their lives like Elara, she was still always curious about everything, especially if it had to do with her with her mate, savior, and love, Leonardo.

"Leoanrdo, I'm afraid I must speak with you regarding your brother, Donatello," he said, leaving it at that.

Callista knew that cue. If she didn't leave, Leonardo would have to go to Master Splinter's study where after their talk, Leonardo would end up discussing countless strategy ideas for battles and ways to defeat Shredder which always long. The thought of that, made her cringe knowing that he'd be mentally exhausted right after getting out. She nodded, using her female intuition to take a guess on what the talk would be about.

"I'll leave you both to talk. I must do a few things," said Callista before Leo could ever respond as she left her mate's side.

Leo watched Callista, amazed that she caught on to Splinter's hints, realizing how he gave her far less credit than she deserved. It still amazed him how she could still turn his head just by walking by him, entrancing his thoughts with thoughts of her. His mind was brought back by Splinter clearing his throat. He stepped aside, allowing Splinter entry to his room and closing the door once Splinter was completely inside.

"What is it, Sensei?" asked Leonardo.

"I am worried about Donatello, my son. I am sure you have noticed his lack of focus in both practice and his studies in science," said Splinter, after kneeling in an area which Leo had set up strictly for the two of them to talk in.

Leonardo nodded as he sat in front of Master Splinter. His mind raced as to why this would be. It could mean almost anything. This had to be rectified as soon as possible or else his brother could end up like himself a number of months ago. He just couldn't allow his brother become a liability.

"I have, Sensei," answered Leo.

"He has been doing this since April was injured. I have tried to find out why and he has not given me an answer. I, Leonardo, can only offer but so much help to you four. I have no experience in…some things you have," said Master Splinter, speaking in his usual cryptic way.

_Why do I get the felling he's talking about love_, thought Leo, not entirely convinced that love was the only problem Don was suffering from. He still nodded, trying not to 'yes sensei' his mentor and father to death. Nothing was going to be easy with this but he got the point. Splinter wanted Leonardo to Talk to Don.

"As you wish, Sensei. I will speak with Donatello," agreed Leo, knowing where most of hid way was going to end up going.

_Well, there goes skull bashing with Raph tonight_, thought Leo. He could see the glint of relief in the old rat's eyes. The relief may have been silent but the aura was there and it did not take a ninja to sense it.

"Thank you, Leonardo. I hope that you are able to help him much more than I have been able to," said Master Splinter.

"I will do what I can, Sensei," said Leo with a slight bow.

Splinter nodded and rose to his feet. He slowly walked out of the room.

Leonardo sighed before getting to his feet and moved towards Raph's room. Since the rekindling of their friendship, they had re-earned the nicknames "the twins." He knocked on the door lightly.

"Come in, Leo," called the voice from the inside.

Callista knocked on Elara's door. Something just wasn't right. She stood outside, only entering when being granted permission. The two of them were always able to talk about anything, except the past, but this should be no different.

Elara lay on her bed, reading. For once, it was not another of Don's Scientific America magazines but a romance novel. _Unusual, not exactly something I'd expect_, thought Callista.

"Good book?" asked Callista.

"Very," said Elara as simply as possible, putting the book down.

Callista sat in Elara's desk chair. They looked at each other for a while.

"So what's going on between you and Don?" asked Callista.

"Nothing," said Elara.

"Nothing? Come on! You expect me to believe that after hearing how much he likes you?" questioned Callista.

Elara bit her lip, hinting at the impending bad news that lingered in the air. She just didn't know how to put it and she was sure Callista picked up on it as she looked up at her friend.

"He's in love with someone else," said Elara quickly.

"He's what?" gasped Callista in complete shock.

"He's in love with April," responded Elara, bitterly.

Callista drew in a sharp breath. This seemed _highly_ unexpected for Callista. She let out the breath slowly.

"But she's getting married to Casey! She's adopted Shadow as her daughter," said Callista, trying to reason the situation out.

"He's been in love with her since he met her. He's trying to get over her," said Elara.

Elara's heart broke again. It wasn't a case of her being angry about it but it still hurt. She wanted him and there was nothing she could do about it. It was all up to Don. The whole situation actually made her feel bitter towards April in a jealous way.

"He better not have lead you on, as the guys say, or else I'll slap that turtle silly," growled Callista.

"Getting bold during your time here, huh, Callista?" asked Elara, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little.

Callista shrugged. Granted, this was something that she would never have done but she was now living under a new set of rules and customs and that could often change a person once they adapt.

"Well, I'm sure he didn't lead me on, whatever that means. Maybe there's still hope," said Elara.

"I never thought you were would become a hopeless romantic," teased Callista.

"Yeah, well, maybe it's the guy," said Elara.

"That's wishful thinking, Lara. He's been in love with her for five years. She's been with Casey four," said Callista, skeptically.

"Okay, I see what you mean. That is sad. Four years," said Elara as she shook her head, hiding her sadness.

"I don't know what to tell you, Lara. Personally, I wouldn't wait around for Don to get his act together. I waited for Leo for a while but got nothing, went for Raph and waited for him for a while but Mikey made his move on me and Leo didn't come back into my life until I was seeing Mikey. I'm glad he did come back into my life and I have no regrets being with Leo but it did teach me what it was that I wanted in a mate of my own choosing. But what you decide to do, is up to you. Don may come around but I don't want to see you hurting while waiting," said Callista.

Elara nodded. She understood Callista's point but it hurt to admit her friend was right. What if Don never came around? What if he did? Count on Callista to be seen but never heard, especially when it came to noticing things from the outside which others could not see.

"Perhaps you're right. There are three eligible bachelors here; Don's not the only one. Maybe I should make like don and move on myself," said Elara.

"Only if that's what you feel you should do," said Callista, stilling cautioning her friend.

Elara nodded, still hiding her sadness. It would just take some time to figure out what to do.

"Thanks," said Elara.

"Anytime, Lara," said Callista.

Leo walked into Raph's room and closed the door behind him.

"Hey Leo! Long time, no see. Looking forward to skull bashing tonight?" asked Raph, warning up as he punched his punching bag.

"Yeah, about that. Master Splinter came to my room and graced me with a small task," said Leo, leaning against the door, in a Raph like manner.

"Oh great! So yer cancellin' huh?" asked Raph, understandably not looking very happy.

"Well, I guess it depends on how long talking to Don takes," said Leo with a sigh.

"Don? What? Does he need ninja turtorin' or somethin'?" asked Raph, obviously teasing.

"Well, he could use it after falling on his shell last night. But in all honesty, he thinks that I may be able to help don better than he could," chuckled Leo.

"Oh yeah, on ninjato lessons," snickered Raph.

"Oh listen to the funny turtle," said Leo, not amused by his brother's humor.

"Well, now we gotta reschedule unless we wanna…hey, now there's an idea," said Raph, smirking as he had that glint in his eye which usually meant he came up with some sort of plan.

"What? I know that look. What's the plan?" asked Leo, curiously.

"well, we haven't done anything together in almost a year and I mean just the four of us, wouldt Splinter and patrolling. Just hangin' out, havin' fun, and maybe Mikey trying to add to his _Superhero Team Up Scrapbook_," said Raph sitting on his bed.

"Good point, Raph, and it's snowing outside so we go to Central Park," said Leo, getting excited about the idea.

"Yeah and the girls…well…they can do whatever it is girls do whenever we're not around," said Raph, getting to his feet.

"Well, that usually means talking but I'll get the disguises," said Leo getting ready to leave.

"And I'll grab the guys," said Raph going towards the door.


End file.
